The Menagerie Part 2
In the Talosian ' |image= |series= |production=6149-16B |producer(s)= |story= |script=Gene Robbenberry |director=Robert Butler |imdbref=tt0708472 |guests=Jeffry Hunter as Christopher Pike , Susan Oliver as Vina , Malachi Thorne as Cmdre. Jose Mendaz, Peter Duryea as Jose Tyler and Hagen Beggs as Mr. Hansen |previous_production=The Menagerie Part 1 |next_production=Shore Leave |episode=TOS S01E12 |airdate=24 November 1966 |previous_release=The Menagerie Part 1 |next_release=The Conscience of the King |story_date(s)=3013.1-3013.2(2267/2254) |previous_story=The Menagerie Part 1 |next_story=Shore Leave }} Summary The tribunal of Spock continues despite Starfleet's orders to end the Talos IV transmissions. The footage continues from before, where Pike has been caged with Vina. The Talosians want the two to mate as to be able to produce offspring and allow the Talosians to rebuild their civilization which fell after they discovered the ability to cast these illusions. The aliens put the two through numerous virtual realities, hoping to give Pike mild interest in Vina to copulate. Pike refuses, and does not relent when the Talosians project more horrific images to him. Meanwhile, the Enterprise crew find the cave entrance where Pike disappeared, but are unable to break it open even when using direct attacks from the ship itself. They attempt to beam in a landing party into the cave, but this is detected by the Talosians, and they manipulate the beam to only allow the female crew members to beam down, as to offer more choices to Pike. While the new captives have phasers, they attempt to shoot out a portion of the cage wall but find them ineffective. That night, Pike is able to capture a Talosian as the being tries to confiscate the phasers. Pike intuits that the phasers do still work, and that their earlier attempt at escape was masked by an illusion, and forces the Talosian to reveal the hole they had previously made. The group escapes to the surface, but learn that this was allowed by the Talosians, in hopes the humans would become a slave colony on the planet's surface. Number One attempts to set her phaser on overload, preferring to die rather than be enslaved, but she is persuaded to deactivate the weapon when more Talosians arrive after having scanned the Enterprise databanks. The aliens have learned that humans have a hatred of captivity, and agree to let the crew go. Pike is upset that the Talosian do not even apologize for holding them, but the head Talosian, the Keeper, explains that they are now resigned to the end of their civilization. Pike offers help from the Federation, but the Talosians refuse, fearing that the Federation would learn of the illusion powers and fall like their own civilization. Agreeing to leave the Talosians in peace, all but Pike are beamed back to the ship. Pike is shown that Vina's looks have been an illusion all along, having suffered great injury on the crash of the Columbia, but has been restored to health and is at peace with the help of the Talosian's illusions. Pike returns to the ship, assured that Vina will be well looked after. The transmission ends at the tribunal just as the ship is arriving at Talos IV. Kirk now knows what Spock's plans have been, as the Talosians would be able to offer Pike the same treatment as Vina. Spock is cleared of all charges, though he tells Kirk he did not explain his actions as to prevent Kirk from becoming an accessory to the crime. Pike is transported to the planet where he is met by Vina and the Talosians. While broadcasting to the Enterprise, they cast the illusion on Pike, and he and Vina are shown returning with the Talosians into their cave. The Enterprise leaves orbit to return to Starfleet. Errors and Explanations Plot Oversights # Mendez, Pike and Kirk continuing to watch the images from Talos. They are part of the evidence for Spock’s trial. # The navigator apparently addressing Mendez as Commander instead of Commodore. This could be a slip of the tongue on the part of the navigator. # The realisation that Mendez had been replaced with an illusionary copy.' This is most likely the work of an unknown superbeing. ' Equipment Oddities # Apparent non use of the computer record function. Maybe it was automatically reactivated somehow. Internet Movie Database Character error # At the end Pike and Vina are shown entering the narrow opening of the elevator shaft. Pike, who is shown in his normal form before his accident, was in fact still confined to his medical chair. The chair was earlier shown to be overly big and bulky, and would not have fit through the narrow opening of the elevator. The apparent absence of the chair, and the narrowness of the opening, could be part of the illusion. Plot holes # The Keeper discloses at the end of this episode that Commodore Mendez was also an illusion, both during the court martial and "on the shuttlecraft". However, Commodore Mendez was beamed aboard the Enterprise with Captain Kirk from the shuttlecraft during the first part of this two-part episode. If Commodore Mendez was indeed an illusion, the transporter would not have any actual material to de-materialize, and would therefore have disclosed the charade. Probably part of the illusion. Nit Central # bela okmyx on Monday, March 21, 2011 - 12:35 pm: At the end of the episode, Uhura reads a message from (the real) Commodore Mendez, stating that General Order 7 (which forbids contact with Talos IV on penalty of death) has been suspended on this occasion. Everyone acts as if Spock is free to go at this point. However, he should be facing a host of other charges, including mutiny, theft of Federation property, (the Enterprise), sabotage of Federation property (the Starbase computers and the Enterprise), kidnapping, and assault and battery on Chief Humboldt. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'extenuating circumstances'? Category:The Original Series Category:Episodes